Boca woman, 20, who died in crash dreamed of being architect, friends say

University of Florida student Caroline Alfano died Sunday after a driver slammed into the back of her SUV in Okeechobee County.

University of Florida student Caroline Alfano died Sunday after a driver slammed into the back of her SUV in Okeechobee County.

Adam SacasaSun Sentinel

University of Florida student Caroline Alfano exchanged texts with a friend on the way home from the Okeechobee Festival — and she told him she’d found peace in the music.

But as Alfano, 20, waited at a stop sign on State Road 710 near Southeast 128th Avenue in Okeechobee County on Sunday, a driver slammed into the back of her SUV, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

She died about seven hours later at Lawnwood Regional Medical Center in Fort Pierce.

“She had dreams of pursuing architecture on the West Coast,” said friend Sean Edney, 21. “She was so incredibly smart and talented.”

Alfano’s passenger was identified Wednesday by the FHP as Nicole Scherton, 23, of Germany.

The driver accused of causing the crash, Joseph David Lagrego, 22, of Englewood, in Sarasota County, was taken to the medical center in serious condition, troopers say.

The cause of the crash, and whether alcohol was involved, is being investigated, FHP said.

Edney said Alfano would have turned 21 on May 13.

One of Alfano’s classmates, Jaylin Darling, said Caroline was one of the hardest working students in her architecture class.

“I think all of us in architecture are just trying to soak it in. You’re with your classmates 18 to 20 hours each day. That’s how our bond got so close,” Darling said. “We’re all just trying to accept the fact that happened.”

Another friend, Kristen Shaw, 21, a roommate at Florida State University of Caroline’s sister Christine Alfano, was with her when she learned about the crash.

“Obviously its really hard because [Christine] feels like she lost part of her,” Shaw said. “She wants to make sure she lives life to the fullest because Caroline won’t be able to.”

Shaw added: “I talked with [Caroline’s] mom and all her organs are being donated, so her life is saving other lives and that’s so typical of Caroline. Her life can help other people.”

According to investigators, Alfano’s Honda CR-V was stopped behind two other vehicles when she was rear-ended by a Nissan Altima being driven by Lagrego.

The two SUVs in front of Alfano were struck in the chain-reaction crash, but the people in those vehicles, from Delray Beach and Lake Worth, were not hurt, according to FHP.

State records show Lagrego was cited at least eight times for speeding, failing to obey a traffic device and a crash involving property damage in 2013.